


Male Bonding

by phoenixnz



Series: Clexmas [11]
Category: Smallville
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-12
Updated: 2016-06-12
Packaged: 2018-07-14 14:19:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7175417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixnz/pseuds/phoenixnz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lex learns a lesson in being part of the Kent family from Jonathan</p>
            </blockquote>





	Male Bonding

**Author's Note:**

  * For [babydee1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/babydee1/gifts).



There were many things Lex loved about Clark. His kindness, his compassion, his ability to see the best in people. 

He also enjoyed the fact that Clark was smart enough to keep up in an intellectual conversation. Clark had read through practically every volume in Lex’s library and they’d spent many a long afternoon in the three years they’d known each other just talking about the various books they’d each read.

Clark definitely had a lot of talents, aside from his powers, of course. It certainly made for some interesting times in the bedroom. Not that they’d been having sex that long. Clark hadn’t wanted to wait, but Lex had insisted he at least get the blessing of Clark’s parents before they became that intimate.

Martha had never been the problem. She had always made it clear she liked Lex and he had warmed to her first. In many ways Martha reminded him of his mother. Except for the fact that he couldn’t really remember ever receiving hugs from Lillian. 

When Martha hugged him, Lex always detected the light floral scent she was wearing as well as the aroma of spices from whatever she had been baking. Clark had always told him he could tell when she liked someone as she would offer them food. Martha might have grown up in the city, but she always offered the best in country hospitality. 

Jonathan, however, had been a different story. At first, he’d treated Lex like someone he would rather see the back of. He’d assumed the apple didn’t fall far from the tree and Lex had to admit that he hadn’t exactly behaved well either. Eventually, Clark had shown him the way to Jonathan’s heart was in just being a normal guy. Lex had learned the key was not in buying flashy gifts or offering money to help out with family finances, but in spending time with the family. He’d gone to ball games with Clark and his father, as much as he hated sitting on bleachers on a cold winter’s day, or just sitting around in the parlour watching old movies. 

Now it was like he was part of the furniture.

Still, there were limits to what he would do for his boyfriend. This was one of them. 

“You want to squeeze it. Just like this.”

Lex looked at the tall blond, then back at the hide of the cow he was mil … trying to milk. Jonathan was bending down beside him, showing him how to squeeze the teat. 

“Uh …”

Jonathan laughed as Bessie … Lex had no idea if the cow was really called that or if it was just a name they gave to every cow, mooed in protest when he squeezed, probably too hard. He sprang back in alarm, thinking the animal was going to kick him. Jonathan patted the cow’s hide to calm her.

“You don’t have to be afraid of her, son.”

Despite the smelly hide he was just about pressing his nose against and the embarrassment of not being perfect in something, Lex felt his face warm with the pleasure of being called ‘son’ by a man he had come to care about more than he did his own father. 

Finally, after some more instructions, he watched as milk shot into the pail. It had occurred to him to wonder why Jonathan didn’t just use the machines, since they had to have some. The farm might be small by most standards, but at last count, he calculated they had a herd of about a thousand. Not even Clark, with his super speed, could milk a thousand cows by himself in the time it took the machines to do it. Well, he assumed so. 

By the time he was done, his back was aching from bending over. Jonathan held out a hand and helped him up, sending the animal out. Lex bit his lip, still wondering what the object of this little lesson was.

Jonathan smiled at him.

“See, I bet you’re wondering why I didn’t just use the machine.”

“It did occur to me.”

“Hard work is what keeps a man honest, son. You can have your fancy cars and your big castle, but those things are just given to you.”

“I didn’t earn them,” Lex said, realising what Jonathan was trying to tell him. 

“Exactly. There’s no pride in it. But see, farmers have been milking cows without machines for hundreds of years. I bet you never milked a cow before, did you?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. He’d spent summers on a ranch in Montana before his mother died, but the ranch hadn’t been a dairy farm. 

He looked down at the milk in the pail. The result of his hard work. It was just a little thing, but he finally understood why Jonathan used to get so upset about the flashy gifts. He didn’t have to buy Clark’s friendship, or his love. That was something he had had to earn. 

Clark came into the barn, grinning at his father.

“Finished with your male bonding?” he asked. 

Jonathan looked at Lex and winked. “Oh, we’re just getting started,” he said.

Lex couldn’t help grinning back.


End file.
